Insignificant
by Princess of Ithilien
Summary: You know those guards that are patrolling outside the fort during Norrington's promotion ceremony? This is their story...R
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: You know those guards that are patrolling right outside the fort during Norrington's promotion ceremony? This is their story...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. I do own, I suppose, Jennings and Williams. **

**Insignificant**

Ten steps forward, turn, ten steps back, turn, ten steps forward, turn, ten steps back, turn...

My name is Jennings. Well, my first name is Charles, but around here everybody calls me Jennings. Being a guard really isn't that much fun, to be honest. When I joined, I thought I was being gallant and brave and honorable, but I wasn't. All I do is patrol, mostly. And today I'm patrolling outside the fort, while Captain Norrington is in there being promoted to Commodore. And I could do all that he could do, if they'd give me a chance.

I've been a guard for a few years. Wearing that glorious red coat and all. It's not really fun, and insignificant people like me get absolutely no recognition. There is another guard that just got put on duty today, I think his name is Williams. My old patrolling partner began patrolling some other place, I believe. And since patrolling outside of this fort is possibly the most boring thing ever, I decided to strike up a conversation...

"Nice day."

Ten steps in one direction, turn, walk back, and there is Williams, replying.

"Is it?"

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"Well, not really. Too hot if you ask me."

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"You're right. Say, what do you think of Norrington?"

Ten steps...

"Bloody annoying fellow."

Ten steps, turn...

"I agree."

Ten steps, turn...

"What did he do to get the promotion anyway?"

What a surprising question! Most people don't bother to wonder about those types of things. All we simple-minded men simply do our job, and know that the officers are smarter and better at what they do.

"Oh, he pretty much...sucked up to the Governor, I s'pose." I had just conjured up that theory out of thin air, but it was rather amusing, and, I thought, probably true...

Ten steps...I could hear Williams trying to stifle his laughter.

"Don't you just adore these wigs?"

Ten steps, wondering if Williams is crazy, until I figure out he's being sarcastic. My mother always did say I wasn't the sharpest child...

"Oh, yes. They are very comfortable."

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

So the conversation droned on a bit, with us making jokes about our uniforms and other things related to that. Then the conversation turned to Norrington again.

"He has some strange fascination with the Governor's daughter."

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"What about his rather odd obsession with pirates?"

Ten steps...how to reply to that?

"I always thought he was a bit strange, myself. He's rather paranoid too..."

Williams half-smiled before turning.

"Maybe somebody in his family was a pirate...maybe his mum married a pirate!"

This was such a ridiculous notion that I actually burst out laughing for a moment, before checking myself. Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"Well, it's possible, isn't it?"

I was, by now, wondering if Williams was quite off his rocker. I hoped not, as we had been having a very interesting conversation. But maybe he had heard something...

"Anything is possible, if you look at it the right way." There! That was an excellent reply, very vague and neutral.

Suddenly we heard somebody shouting, so we ran into the fort. That is practically a forbidden thing, but in the midst of something going on, nobody realizes that petty soldiers are there, and that is practically the only way that we find out about things. I thought, with a touch of regret, that my stimulating conversation with Williams, which had broken the monotonous way that my days usually go, had ended, but perhaps could be started up again later...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update this! Thanks to my two reviewers!

Disclaimer: I do not, OBVIOUSLY, own Pirates of the Caribbean.

**Second and Final Chapter**

After the little upset yesterday, let's just say things didn't go too well. First, Miss Swann, the Governer's daughter, fell off the battlements, and into the water. The new Commodore Norrington almost jumped in after her, but someone managed to stop him. That's what we hear, anyway. We didn't get to see any of it.

We also hear that Jack Sparrow is around these parts. Haven't seen him. Put him in prison, they did. Of course, then there was the cannon fire from what we heard to be the Black Pearl.

We lowly patrollers get all our information second-hand, you see.

Quite a fair bit of the town was damaged, some buildings were completely destroyed.

You might be wondering where Williams and I are today?

Why, patrolling, naturally.

I'm rather out of sorts today, I don't even know where we are patrolling, but we've been having a jolly good conversation anyway.

"Did you hear about the Commodore proposing to Miss Swann?" He asked me.

Ten steps forward, turn, ten steps back.

"Yes. What did he think, that she would fall to his feet and admit that she was madly in love with him?"

Williams snickered, even though my comment was not something I or anyone I know would consider witty.

"How do you think he asked her? D'ye think he begged?" Williams inquires of me.

"Maybe he didn't ask at all. Maybe he told her. 'Miss Swann, you will marry me. I will accept no arguments...' " Williams almost laughed at that one. I allowed myself a small chuckle, even though I didn't think any of what I was saying was really funny.

"Why do you think he wanted to jump after her? Is he suicidal?" Williams asks with a grin.

I don't reply to that. An officer has just stepped up to us, and if he heard us joking about the Commodore, we'd no longer have jobs.

"Jennings! You're being reassigned. Follow me."

I shoot a perplexed look at Williams, then follow the man.

I suppose the amusing conversations with Williams about Commodore Norrington have come to an end.

A true pity, that is.

A/N: And so ends my random little story about random little soldiers.

Replies to my reviewers:

Star Fata: Thank you.

Nakanna Lee: Here it is! Not as good as the first, but I had to tie it up somehow... I think Norrington is a good guy, just a little wacky where pirates are concerned. Did you see him in the second one? Oh, gosh. They really messed up the characters in the sequel.


End file.
